Hundreds of Amazon employees stop working over disputed pay rise

Hundreds of Amazon workers at the company's Tilbury site in Essex stopped working and gathered in the canteen over a pay dispute on Thursday.

Amazon reportedly offered its employees a 35p pay rise, which was rejected. More than 700 employees have gathered in the canteen, according to a regional organiser for GMB union. Employees are calling for a £2-an-hour raise. Some employees have faced disciplinary measures for the protest.

The Guardian on YouTube:

#Amazon #Protest #Pay

[lordtywinofhouselannister]

With all the price rising we all need a pay rise.

[wyndgrove]

Hey guys. To anyone criticising employees for wanting to get paid enough to live a decent human existence by a company making billions in profits, remember this basic fact...it's the employees who do the actual work that makes the money.

[satyasyasatyasya]

SOLIDARITY. Amazon has billions. It can afford to pay at least £20 an hour!

[Jasminafernandes]

Amazon is one of the richest company in the world and can afford to pay it's workers decent pay rise. People are working just to survive and inflation, rising prices will make their life all the more tough. I work at Amazon BRS2 Swindon and I know and saw with my eyes how hard people slog at Amazon and give their all to make a living. Also they didn't give any bonus as most of the workers were expecting it.

[GlidingZephyr]

I've worked in jobs similar to this for most of my life, in the US. With varying "skill levels."

Over the last ten years or so I alternated between an industrial manufacturing environment which assembled hose products (mainly for pneumatic and hydraulic systems), and a superconductor lab that processed parts for pacemakers.

There were two common threads between both environments: Nothing worked correctly, and when it did go catastrophically wrong it was always the operator's fault unless they could "prove" that it wasn't. A craftsman doesn't blame the tool for a poor job, but they also can't do their job when the tool doesn't exist.

The other commonality is the pay. $16.00 to $17.00 for the industrial job is adequate, but $17.50 for the superconductor lab (which requires multiple renewable company certifications) is an insult. By scale, I think that $18.50 and $20.00 would be fair starting wages, respectively.

University courses are never free in the States, and to be blunt jobs like I've described are at the top of the ceiling for those who don't want to end up being debt slaves. I hope that all Amazon workers form a Union to really stand up for themselves. Let's see their shipping centers and warehouses function when 85% of the employees walk out for a week. AI won't work either without maintenance and IT staff.

[greyghost]

Funniest part of this is the Amazon slogans (sorry “leadership tenets”) plastered on the walls in the background: “have backbone: disagree”

Then Amazon doesn’t like it when their employees do it 😂

[TomNook.]

It would be interesting to see how their systems handle a striking fulfillment center though. I'm aware that they work in sync based on demand and location, so how will the reallocation cope with workers simply give up?

[erenjeager]

I work at Amazon Sortation Center, and it's very easy. But the pay is decent.

[macklee]

Well, one of the Amazon slogans in the background says "Have Backbone; Disagree".
And that's exactly what they're doing 🤷

[gregw]

When a few hundred people agree something is wrong, it’s time to listen.

[tenshi]

why would you work for amazon anyway they deliver at random times and give your stuff to your neighbours their efficiency is zero, i wonder if they are like this in east asian countries like japan, in japan they would most likely fire a guy if the train was late that's what we should have to, next day delivery can mean next week in lax nation...

[khmerkidz]

I’m for Amazon an tbh I do believe we deserve a raise with all this inflation I can bearly handle bills an gas.. struggling real

[consultant]

This is why Jeff is investing billions in robots, AI and drove delivery to eventually eliminate majority of these workers.

[YogiBear-kdyp]

USPS is hiring 20 bucks a hour starting

[stationary]

No robot will ever be able to replace the human hand that touches every package that goes through there facilities. Will never happen.

[slinkiegirl]

bezos earn 2.5k a second and he gives his workers that insulting pay rise what a pos

[bored_fox]

Haha funnily enough I saw an amazon diversity ad today...

[ablue]

Amazon should pay and least $ 20 per hour. Already Jeff bezos have billions and now he is thinking investment money in a spaceship programs I think he should investment a little bit in their workers and pay a decent salary of $ 20 bucks a hour what a shameful and selfish they are.

[arifuzzamanchowdhury]

Not except any aggression we are see to peace

[UnicowBoySlots]

So I apply for a job and they inform me of what the job is, what you get paid for I accept it. Then 6 months later because I don’t like the job I will protest what I initially signed up for. That makes a whole lot of sense